Backlash against net zero ‘overstated’

Claims of a voter backlash against net zero are overstated, according to new analysis.

Media coverage of the net zero agenda is more than two and a half times as negative as public sentiment, the study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Persuasion UK found.

It said the British public remains consistently supportive of the UK’s 2050 net zero target, with around 60 per cent of people support the goal and climate policy is not driving voter defections to parties such as Reform.

However, climate has fallen down the list of voter priorities amid cost-of-living pressures.

Sam Alvis, associate director of environment and energy security at IPPR, said: “Some politicians are deliberately trying to undermine public support for climate action. But the public still cares about protecting themselves and their children from the impacts of climate change. In the face of these constant attacks, policymakers must focus on making clean energy choices simple, affordable, and part of everyday life.”